Department of Health and Social Care

Primary Health Care: Capital Investment

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department provides to ICBs on making use of capital budgets allocated on the basis of hospital deprecation for primary care capital investment.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department provides over £12 billion between 2022/23 and 2024/25 for National Health Service operational capital. This funding is managed by NHS England and it, rather than the Department, issues the capital planning guidance to the NHS and the integrated care boards (ICBs), which covers both primary and secondary care.Most of the operational capital funding is allocated to the 42 ICBs and they prioritise and assign the funding across their partner organisations based on their local needs.From 2022/23, annually, £100 million of this funding for capital investment in primary care estate and IT, which is the protected minimum for primary care investment, and ICBs are able to increase capital for primary care in their region as long as their plans, in aggregate, remain within their set budget.

British Medical Association

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what dates has (a) she, (b) her Ministers and (c) her officials had discussions with representatives of the BMA since 23 December 2023.

Andrew Stephenson: I met representatives of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) junior doctors committee on 1 and 5 February 2024. My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care met representatives of the junior doctors committee and the consultants committee at separate meetings on 8 February 2024. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy met representatives of the general practice committee on 31 January and 27 February 2024. Department officials are in regular contact with BMA representatives, with informal discussions held on most working days in 2024.

Christchurch Hospital

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when work on the Christchurch Hospital Macmillan Unit building project included in the New Hospital programme will begin.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Care Homes: Rural Areas

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to help improve access to care homes in rural communities.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the average target timeline for exit from the Recovery Support Programme for those ICBs in segment 4.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the recovery support programme in (a) embedding improvements, (b) preventing further deterioration and (c) enabling stabilisation of services for the (i) Norfolk and Waveney, (ii) Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and (iii) Devon Integrated Care Board.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Brain: Tumours

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of NHS funding for brain tumour research compared to research into other cancers; and if she will provide the quantum of NHS research funding into brain tumours for each of the last five financial years.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospital Beds: Dorset

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many beds were occupied by patients ready to be discharged in NHS hospitals in Dorset; and how many of these patients had been awaiting discharge for more than (a) three days, (b) seven days and (c) a month on the most recent date for which data is available.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prescriptions: Safety

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prescription errors by NHS trusts were reported to the Learn from patient safety events service in 2023; and how many and what proportion of those errors were graded as causing (a) no harm, (b) low harm, (c) moderate harm, (d) severe harm and (e) death.

Maria Caulfield: We have been informed by NHS England that this data has not been validated, and cannot be provided at this time.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with pediatricians on trends in the number of young children diagnosed with (a) autism and (b) ADHD.

Maria Caulfield: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has regular discussions on a wide range of matters with a wide range of people, including clinical staff.Data on numbers of diagnoses for autism is not held centrally. However, data on referrals for assessment shows that the number of patients aged between zero and 17 years old with an open suspected autism referral in September 2023 was 91,729, which is an increase of 56% since September 2022, and an increase of almost 700% since April 2019, when data collection began. Data on children and young people in this dataset is expected to be an underestimate. Caution should be used when interpreting these statistics since they are experimental statistics.In respect of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), there is currently no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for assessment and numbers of diagnoses nationally. Although data is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners. We are exploring options to improve data collection and reporting on ADHD assessment waiting times to help improve access to ADHD assessments in a timely way and in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. The National Institute for Health and Care Research has commissioned a research project to provide initial insights into local ADHD assessment waiting times data collection. NHS England is also currently scoping a national programme of work on ADHD.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Diagnosis

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the backlog of ADHD assessments.

Maria Caulfield: It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. NICE guidelines for ADHD diagnosis and management aim to improve the diagnosis of ADHD and the quality of care and support people receive.Data on the number of people waiting for an ADHD diagnosis and how long they have been waiting is not currently collected nationally but may be held locally by NHS trusts or ICBs.We know how vital it is to have timely diagnoses for ADHD, and we are committed to reducing assessment and diagnosis delays. We are exploring options to improve data collection and reporting on ADHD assessment waiting times to help improve access to ADHD assessments in a timely way and in line with the NICE guidelines. The National Institute for Health and Care Research has commissioned a research project to provide initial insights into local ADHD assessment waiting times data collection. NHS England is also currently scoping a national programme of work on ADHD.With respect to assessments for ADHD for children and young people, we know that children and young people often seek an ADHD diagnosis through Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. The NHS Long Term Plan commits an additional £2.3 billion a year for the expansion and transformation of mental health services in England by March 2024.

Mental Health Services: Safety

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS mental health trusts have an inadequate safety rating.

Maria Caulfield: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rates health and care providers using five key questions, which are: are services safe; effective; caring; responsive to people’s needs; and well led. CQC has 49 residential and community mental health trusts on its register and of these, one provider, or 2%, is rated as inadequate for CQC’s safety rating.Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing at least £2.3 billion of additional funding a year by March 2024, compared to 2018/19, to expand and transform mental health services in England so that two million more people can get the mental health support that they need.

Mental Health Services: Hospital Wards

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of mixed wards for inpatient psychiatric care were in use for each year since 2010.

Maria Caulfield: Neither the Department nor NHS England hold the data requested.

Infectious Diseases: Disease Control

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the (a) surveillance of infectious diseases and (b) Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010.

Maria Caulfield: As part of our responsibility to protect citizens from the impact of infectious diseases, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) carries out surveillance activities across a range of pathogens which represent a significant risk to health. This involves multiple UKHSA teams working with external partners across a wide range of activities. Our assessments of the effectiveness of surveillance are incorporated into annual reports on surveillance and progress towards the elimination of notifiable diseases, including tuberculosis and measles. Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010 serve an important role in England’s ability to respond promptly to suspected cases of infectious disease that could have an impact on public health, by supporting a robust surveillance system. Regulations are reviewed by the Department and UKHSA, and include public consultations. A summary of responses to the recent Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010: proposed amendments consultation, is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/health-protection-notification-regulations-2010-proposed-amendments/public-feedback/summary-of-responses-to-the-health-protection-notification-regulations-2010-proposed-amendments-consultation

Dulaglutide

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason there is a shortage of the drug Trulicity in the NHS.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department has been working with Eli Lilly to address issues with access to glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) for type 2 diabetics. Issues with the supply of Trulicity (dulaglutide) have been driven by an increase in global demand. We have worked closely with Eli Lilly during this time to try to minimise risks to patients in the United Kingdom. As a result, patients stabilised on Trulicity (dulaglutide) should be able to continue to obtain their medicine. The supply of Trulicity will be intermittent throughout 2024 and patients are advised to speak to their prescriber if they have any concerns.We issued updated guidance to healthcare professionals, in the form of a National Patient Safety Alert, on 3 January 2024, on how to manage patients requiring these medicines.Our guidance is clear that GLP-1RAs that are solely licensed to treat type 2 diabetes should only be used for that purpose and should not be routinely prescribed for weight loss. The General Pharmaceutical Council, General Medical Council, Health and Care Professions Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland have also issued a joint statement stressing the importance of health and care professionals meeting regulatory standards in relation to these medicines.

Cardiovascular Diseases

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she plans to take to help reduce premature deaths from cardiovascular disease.

Andrew Stephenson: The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to a number of key ambitions to improve care and outcomes for individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD), including enhanced diagnostic support in the community, better personalised planning, and increasing access to cardiac rehabilitation. These ambitions will support the delivery of the aim to help prevent 150,000 heart attacks, strokes, and dementia cases by 2029.To support elective recovery, the Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to drive up and protect elective activity, including heart disease, ensuring early access to diagnostic tests and treatment.The NHS Health Check programme is a core component of England's CVD prevention pathway. Over 15 million people are eligible for an NHS Health Check every five years, with 1.3 million being delivered a year, preventing an estimated 500 heart attacks and strokes.The NHS Long Term Plan sets out that by 2028 the proportion of patients accessing cardiac rehabilitation will be amongst the best in Europe, with up to 85% of those eligible accessing care. This will prevent up to 23,000 premature deaths and 50,000 acute admissions over 10 years.

Sjögren's Syndrome

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is taking steps to (a) reduce the time taken to diagnose, (b) improve treatment options for managing the symptoms of and (c) support research on a potential cure for Sjögren's syndrome.

Andrew Stephenson: To reduce the time taken to diagnose conditions such as Sjögren's syndrome, NHS England has published a delivery plan for recovering access to primary care. As part of this plan, the National Health Service will deliver on the commitment of 26,000 more direct patient care staff, and 50 million more general practice (GP) appointments by March 2024.GPs, rheumatologists, and other specialists can prescribe a range of topical and symptomatic therapies for patients with Sjögren's syndrome on the NHS, for example to help with symptoms of oral and ocular dryness. Rheumatologists may also prescribe immunosuppressive medications, if warranted, as part of standard NHS prescribing. There is also a range of off-the-shelf products such as mouthwashes and toothpastes, and dry eye therapies, some of which may be available through prescription, or purchased independently.If new treatments for managing the symptoms of Sjögren's syndrome do become available, this is something that can be reviewed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. NHS England has previously reviewed the evidence for using rituximab in the treatment of Sjögren's syndrome and concluded that there was not enough evidence to support the use of this treatment.The National Institute for Care Excellence has published a Clinical Knowledge Summary on dry eye disease, which includes Sjögren's syndrome. Clinical knowledge summaries are evidence-based summaries designed to support healthcare professionals in primary care in the United Kingdom. The Department funds research on Sjögren's syndrome through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), including through the UK Musculoskeletal Translational Research Collaboration. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Sjögren's syndrome.

Defibrillators: Finance

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many applications her Department has received to the Community Automated External Defibrillator Fund; and whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the funding available.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government’s £1 million Community Automated External Defibrillators (AED) fund will provide more than 1,000 new defibrillators for community spaces across England. As of 22 September 2022, community organisations can now apply for a grant to fund a life-saving defibrillator for their local area. Applications for funding will be submitted to Smarter Society and the London Hearts Charity, who will assess each application against a set criteria, ensuring that each AED is placed where they are needed most. They have designed engagement and application processes to appeal to a wide and diverse audience. Smarter Society and the London Hearts Charity have received 3507 applications from various local organisations, with 4448 AED’s applied for in total. No assessment by the Government of the adequacy of funding allocated to community defibrillator projects has been made.

Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is taking steps to improve the (a) diagnosis rate, (b) co-ordination of care and (c) access to specialist (i) care, (ii) treatment and (iii) support for hereditary spastic paraplegia.

Andrew Stephenson: In January 2021, the Government published the UK Rare Diseases Framework providing a national vision for how to improve the lives of those living with rare diseases such as hereditary spastic paraplegia. The framework lists four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community: helping patients get a final diagnosis faster, increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals, better coordination of care, improving access to specialist care, treatments and drugs.Each year since 2021 we have published an England Rare Diseases Action Plan. On 29 February 2024, we published the third England Rare Diseases Action Plan, which is working to address these priorities across all rare diseases. Increasing awareness among healthcare professionals contributes to improved care, treatment and support for those living with rare conditions. NHS England has developed a digital resource “GeNotes” to support healthcare professionals, which includes information on hereditary spastic paraplegia.

Rare Diseases: Health Services

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is she taking to provide people living with a rare disease equitable access to (a) diagnosis, (b) treatment, and (c) care.

Andrew Stephenson: In January 2021, the Government published the UK Rare Diseases Framework providing a national vision for how to improve the lives of those living with rare diseases. The framework lists four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community: helping patients get a final diagnosis faster, increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals, better coordination of care, improving access to specialist care, treatments and drugs. The principles of the UK Rare Diseases Framework commit the four nations to “ensure any impacts on health inequalities are considered when developing action plans”.Each year since 2021 we have published an England Rare Diseases Action Plan. On 29 February 2024, we published the third England Rare Diseases Action Plan, which is working to address these priorities. Several actions have been committed to in this year’s and previous years’ action plans that relate to equitable access to diagnosis, treatment, and care.

Neurology

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of qualified neurologists in England.

Andrew Stephenson: Health Education England created five additional training posts for neurology for 2023, with NHS England having created a further 10 additional posts for neurology for 2024. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP) published by NHS England in June 2023 sets out an aim to double the number of medical school places in England to 15,000 places a year by 2031/32, and to work towards this expansion by increasing places by a third, to 10,000 a year, by 2028/29.The LTWP commits to an adequate growth in foundation placement capacity, as those taking up these new places begin to graduate, and a commensurate increase in specialty training places that meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future. This will substantially increase the potential pipeline for the neurology workforce.As of November 2023, there are 1,788 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of neurology working in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England which is an increase of 741 or 70.7% compared to 2010. This includes 932 FTE consultants which is 396 or 73.9% more than in 2010.

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the impact of restructuring at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on that agency's performance in 2022-23.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department holds the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to account for their work, including their performance and the impact of any organisational changes, through regular established mechanisms including quarterly and annual accountability reviews. The minutes of the latest Annual Accountability Review with the MHRA are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-accountability-review-mhra/annual-accountability-review-minutes-2022-to-2023-3-july-2023

Carbamazepine

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of levels of availability of Tegretol prolong release medication.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department was notified of supply issues with Tegretol 200 milligram and 400 milligram prolonged release tablets in December 2023. We took swift action, working with industry to help resolve them. As a result, supplies of both strengths are now available from the manufacturer and we are working with them to ensure these are distributed to wholesalers, as quickly as possible. We issued communications to the National Health Service to provide guidance on the management plan and how to support patients affected by the supply issues. We have confirmed that supplies of alternative Tegretol tablets have remained available throughout.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dogs: Transport

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to ban the non-commercial transportation of heavily pregnant dogs.

Mark Spencer: As outlined in our 2021 Action Plan for Animal Welfare, the Government has an ambitious agenda for animal welfare and conservation reforms, which we are taking forward during this Parliamentary session. We will continue to introduce and support legislative and non-legislative reforms where possible. We are aware that Selaine Saxby MP has introduced a Private Members’ Bill on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of dogs, cats and ferrets. In accordance with Parliamentary convention, the Government will set out its formal position on this Bill when it receives its Second Reading.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will issue guidance on ensuring that canine fertility clinics have veterinary oversight as a requisite for operation.

Mark Spencer: Canine fertility clinics are already subject to regulatory standards as a result of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, and the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013, amongst others. The Government has no plans to issue additional guidance requiring veterinary oversight of canine fertility businesses.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will introduce regulatory standards in the operation of canine fertility clinics.

Mark Spencer: Canine fertility clinics are already subject to regulatory standards as a result of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (“the 2018 Regulations”), the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, and the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013, amongst others. For example, under the 2018 Regulations, anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a twelve-month period needs to hold a valid licence issued by their local authority. Licensees must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences. We are in the process of reviewing the 2018 Regulations, including considering whether the regulations’ scope is sufficient to protect breeding dogs in all settings. The report will be published soon.

Fish Farming: Animal Welfare

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to (a) publish its opinion on farmed fish welfare and (b) announce its decision on whether to adopt the recommendations on farmed fish welfare made by the Animal Welfare Committee.

Mark Spencer: I refer the hon. Member to part a) of the reply given to the hon. Member for Putney, Fleur Anderson, on 23 January 2024, UIN 9673.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of canine fertility clinics offering surgical intra-uterine insemination procedures.

Mark Spencer: Surgical artificial insemination is a prohibited procedure under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. It legally restricts mutilations to animals (i.e. procedures which interfere with sensitive tissue or bone structure). Consequently, canine fertility business should not be offering surgical artificial insemination. Anyone convicted of carrying out a prohibited procedure may be imprisoned for a term of up to five years, receive an unlimited fine, or both.

Environmental Land Management Schemes

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers had agreements under the Environmental Land Management Scheme as of 26 February 2024.

Mark Spencer: As of 26 February, the Rural Payments Agency had offered 14,035 Sustainable Farming Incentive (including SFI Pilot, SFI 2022 and SFI 2023) agreements with 12,903 accepted and 48,665 agreements under the Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship schemes. Farmers can have more than one agreement in schemes. In addition, from the launch of the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme (July 2021) to the end of 2022/23 (March 2023), there were over 5,000 farmers and land managers engaged in the programme and over 2,500 projects approved. Further to this, there are also 22 projects in Round One of the Landscape Recovery Scheme, with a combined total of 266 landowners and 51 tenant farmers. There are 34 projects in Round Two of the Landscape Recovery Scheme; however, the number of landowners and tenant farmers cannot be confirmed yet, as they are currently being enrolled onto the scheme.

Import Controls: EU Countries

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many consignments have entered the UK with a health certificate for medium-risk imports from the EU since 31 January 2024; how many checks have been carried out on consignments with those certificates; and what estimate his Department has made of the number and proportion of consignments entering the UK that required those certificates since 31 January 2024.

Mark Spencer: Since 31 January 2024,1721 consignments have entered the UK with a health certificate for medium risk goods. Some of these consignments can be considered medium risk but can also be considered low risk dependant on how products are treated. The requirements for checking these products are not required at present, as this does not come into effect until 30 April 2024. This information is from external IPAFF (import of products, food and feed) systems not directly controlled by the department.

Ukraine: Agriculture

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help support Ukraine's agricultural sector.

Mark Spencer: The UK remains committed to supporting Ukrainian agriculture, a key sector of Ukraine’s economy.The UK’s support includes committing £8 million to President Zelenskyy’s ‘Grain from Ukraine’ initiative, which supports grain production in Ukraine and ensures that Ukrainian grain reaches some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world.Ukraine’s maritime corridor in the Black Sea, established with UK and other partners’ support, will help enable Ukraine to export its entire harvest this year, if current export volumes are maintained.Following a request from Ukraine in 2022, the UK has also committed £2.2 million to develop a grain verification scheme, designed to tackle the well-documented appropriation of Ukrainian grain by Russian forces in occupied regions of Ukraine. This will help Ukraine to deter continued Russian theft of grain.In May 2022, the UK was the first country to liberalise all tariffs and quotas with Ukraine, supporting Ukraine’s economy. This liberalisation will be extended until at least 2029 for most products.Last year, the UK provided £16 million to help fund the Ukrainian response to the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam, which affected agricultural land, including donating pumping equipment and temporary barriers from the Environment Agency.The UK was also pleased to host an agricultural roundtable at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2023 to further facilitate investment in the Ukrainian agricultural sector.

River Foss and River Ouse: Sewage

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data his Department holds on sewage releases into York on (a) the River Foss and (b) River Ouse and their tributories in each of the last 5 years for which data is available.

Robbie Moore: There are two key datasets that provide information on Water Company sewage releases. Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) provides information on when and for how long sewage discharges have occurred. All EDM data is published online annually since 2020 Operator Self-Monitoring (OSM) compliance sample data is self-reported by the water companies and provides information on the quality of the final effluent which is discharged from sewage treatment works with numeric limits in their permits. This data is available for the Foss and Ouse and their tributaries for each of the last 5 years via: Open WIMS data.

Air Pollution

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to ensure parity in air pollution reporting requirements between the UK and EU.

Robbie Moore: This Government is committed to leaving the environment in a better state than we found it and we have been clear that we will uphold our high standards on environmental protections and meet our international commitments. Having left the EU we want to ensure that our regulatory framework is appropriate, tailored to the UK and able to drive improved environmental outcomes. The UK reports against requirements for both emissions and concentrations of air pollutants, as set out in domestic and international legislation. Concentrations are assessed under the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 and Environment Act 2021, both of which have annual reporting publications. Achievement of existing emission targets and projected achievement of future targets are reported as part of our domestic obligations under the National Emission Ceilings Regulations 2018 ensuring transparency and scrutiny of the UK’s progress. Emissions are also reported to the UNECE Secretariat to fulfil our international reporting obligations under the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. In addition to reporting to meet legislative requirements, the UK reports the data in two annual Accredited Official Statistics releases and makes more granular data available through the UK-Air and National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory websites. The UK also continues to report on industrial emissions through the UK Pollutant Release and Transfer Protocol (PRTR), which is retained EU law and implements the UNECE Kyiv Protocol on PRTRs.

Lead: Ammunition

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Plans announced to phase out lead ammunition in bid to protect wildlife, published on 23 March 2021, what progress his Department has made on its review into the use of lead in ammunition; and what his expected timetable is to complete this work.

Robbie Moore: The UK REACH lead in ammunition restriction process was initiated in 2021 by the then Defra Secretary of State, with the agreement of the Scottish and Welsh Governments. This triggered a process under the UK REACH regulations, with the dossier preparation and recommendations process led by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). This work continues and has included a six-month public consultation in 2022, and more recently, a 60-day public consultation closed on 10th December 2023 on the socioeconomic impact of the restriction proposals. HSE expects the final report to be completed later this year. Following receipt of the HSE’s final opinions, the final decision for any restriction will be made by the Defra Secretary of State, with the consent of the Scottish and Welsh Ministers.

Companies: Pollution Control

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to require companies to tackle material air pollution issues.

Robbie Moore: In the Environmental Improvement Plan the Government set out measures to tackle air pollution from a range of sources. With regards to industrial pollution, installations are required by the Environmental Permitting Regulations (England and Wales) 2016 to have an environmental permit and meet limits on emissions. The Environmental Improvement Plan included a commitment to consult on improvements to the mechanisms for developing standards for industrial processes to better reflect our priorities for the environment and to support businesses in innovating and delivering net zero. Through the new UK Best Available Techniques system Defra is working with industry, regulators and the devolved administrations to update standards for industry through an evidence-led, collaborative approach, which will reduce emissions from the largest industries.

Industry: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to improve the Industrial Emissions Directive to further reduce emissions.

Robbie Moore: The Environmental Permitting Regulations (England and Wales) 2016 implement the Industrial Emissions Directive. In the Environmental Improvement Plan, the Government committed to consult on improvements to the mechanisms for developing standards for industrial processes to better reflect our priorities for the environment and to support businesses in innovating and delivering net zero. Through the new UK Best Available Techniques system Defra is working with industry, regulators and the devolved administrations to update standards for industry through an evidence-led, collaborative approach, which will reduce emissions from the largest industries.

Rivers: Environment Protection

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of river basin management plans in delivering the Government's 25 year Environment Plan goal for clean and plentiful water.

Robbie Moore: We have an ambitious Plan for Water which is delivering more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement needed to meet our commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan, to improving at least 75% of our waters to be close to their natural state. River Basin Management Planning is part of the regulatory framework to achieve this goal and has provided a mechanism for managing England’s waters, bringing together national and local measures and investment to improve the water environment. The 2022 update to the River Basin Management Plans represents £5.3 billion worth of planned and funded actions by 2027. Each update to the River Basin Management Plans includes a progress report. Further, in the Plan for Water, we committed to reviewing the Water Framework Directive regulations including River Basin Management Planning to improve integration between flood, water and water company plans.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Expenditure

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Chapter 6 of his Department’s publication entitled Defra’s annual report and accounts for 2022 to 2023, published on 26 October 2023, which local authority received the excess rock armour.

Robbie Moore: The rock armour was transferred to Brighton and Hove City Council for the Brighton Marina to River Adur Coastal Protection Scheme.

Water Treatment: Location

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what is the minimum acceptable distance between a leachate treatment plant and housing developments.

Robbie Moore: National planning policy is clear that local plans and decisions should prevent new and existing development from contributing to, being put at unacceptable risk from, or being adversely affected by, unacceptable levels of soil, air, water or noise pollution. Owners of industrial, trade and business premises are expected to use the best practicable means available to reduce odours, effluvia and other potential sources of statutory nuisance emanating from their place of work in the first place. If this is not happening, then local authorities have powers through the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to investigate and issue abatement notices to stop the problem from re-occurring if they determine a statutory nuisance exists.

Electronic Cigarettes: Smuggling

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposal to ban disposable vapes on the illicit vape market.

Robbie Moore: On 29 January, a ban on the supply and sale of disposable vapes was announced as part of the Government’s response to its consultation on smoking and vaping that was launched in October last year. A ban on the supply and sale of these throwaway items will help to protect our environment, as well as future generations, from the harmful effects of disposable vapes. We will be working with the appropriate bodies to ensure that the ban, when introduced, is enforceable to minimise illicit vapes entering the market.

Inland Border Facilities: Ashford

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost is of (a) purchase of and (b) construction works on Sevington Internal Border Facility.

Mark Spencer: Sevington BCP is operated from a site owned by DFT.The Department considers that this information is commercially sensitive and should be withheld.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Islamophobia

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to appoint an independent adviser on tackling Islamophobia.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will hold discussions with the Minister for Women and Equalities on the potential merits of appointing an independent adviser on tackling Islamophobia.

Lee Rowley: We continue to work closely with community groups, charities and schools to inform our position on tackling racially and religiously motivated discrimination as a whole – including anti-Muslim discrimination.

Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what policy recommendations his Department received from the Anti-Muslim Hatred working group since 2019; and whether he is taking steps to implement them.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will publish (a) minutes of each quarterly meeting of and (b) all annual reports prepared by the Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group since 2019.

Lee Rowley: This Government is committed to tackling the scourge discrimination in all forms, including anti-Muslim discrimination head-on through a coordinated cross-departmental effort. From ensuring the safety of worshippers to community engagement and supporting the victims, swift action has been taken to address anti-Muslim discrimination and institute safeguards. For example, Tell MAMA has been provided with nearly £5 million between 2016 and 2023 to monitor and combat anti-Muslim hatred.We are taking a broad approach to religious discrimination which will develop on the work of the previous Working Groups; seeking the views and perspectives of British and international experts in this field to explore how religious discrimination is experienced by British communities, and how it affects different faiths and individuals. This engagement will explore the breadth and depth of religious hatred and will consider the question of terminology and definitions for hatred across and within religious communities, including anti-Muslim discrimination. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Press

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what subscriptions to (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) online journals his Department has paid for in each of the last three financial years.

Simon Hoare: Details of departmental spend over £250 are published online. The department does not hold a central list of all subscriptions to (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) online journals purchased over the previous three years and this information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Apprentices

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much his Department (a) paid in apprenticeship levy fees and (b) spent from its apprenticeship levy funds between September 2021 and August 2023.

Simon Hoare: The department has contributed £1,502,612.00 in Levy funds between September 2021 and August 2023.During the same period the department has spent £534,528.80.

Refugees: Ukraine

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing more integration support for Ukrainian refugees.

Felicity Buchan: Local authorities will continue to receive the £5,900 per person tariff payment to support our Ukrainian guests. We are also working across Government to identify other ways to unblock barriers, helping Ukrainians access employment, commensurate with their skill set, liaising with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), who encourage their employer and the Refugee Employment networks to advertise job vacancies. In addition, Job Centre Plus teams also help guests with much needed CV Writing and Interview skills courses.Ukrainians with work related qualifications are directed to the UK National Information Centre (UK ENIC) for the recognition and evaluation of international qualifications and skills, as well as signposting to the relevant professional regulators, all of which is available as comprehensive guidance on GOV.UK.For specific healthcare and education roles, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Education (DfE) have provided pathways for Ukrainians, to help them understand what they need to do to work in these sectors, also available on GOV.UK.We recognise through engagement with guests, other Government departments, local councils, VCS organisations and sponsors that English language skills is one of the main barriers to employment, and wider integration. The UK Government is funding STEP Ukraine which is a completely free, virtual 12-week English language and employment support programme for Ukrainians in the UK. Thousands of Ukrainians have already benefited from STEP Ukraine, achieving improved job prospects and English language skills whilst here in the UK.

Housing: Veterans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many veterans were prioritised for housing due to their homelessness status in the last year.

Felicity Buchan: The most recent Statutory homelessness statistics (July -September 2023) is available at: Homelessness statistics - GOV.UK, which includes households that are owed a homelessness duty due to their support needs due to service in the armed forces.

Temporary Accommodation: Families

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of families living in temporary accommodation in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England.

Felicity Buchan: I refer the Hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 14761 on 26 February 2024.

Regeneration: Tamworth

Sarah Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has had recent discussions with Tamworth Borough Council on the impact of inflation on its project to regenerate the town centre.

Sarah Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has approved additional funding for the levelling up project in Tamworth.

Jacob Young: The Government is committed to levelling up the whole country. Tamworth has been awarded £21.65 million from the Future High Street Fund to deliver regeneration of the Town Centre.The department understands that inflation is an issue facing many projects. Where requests to re-scope projects are submitted, we are looking to deal with these flexibly, provided changes still represent good value for money. Details of meetings with external organisations are published on Gov.uk.

Treasury

Treasury: Apprentices

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department (a) paid in apprenticeship levy fees and (b) spent from its apprenticeship levy funds between September 2021 and August 2023.

Gareth Davies: The most recent Civil Service Apprenticeship Strategy (published in April 2022) stated that part of monitoring and measuring the success would include value for money from the apprenticeship levy. The aim is that the Civil Service “will use at least 65% of its annual levy contribution in one year, further increasing each year, in order to achieve a return on investment.” The spend against levy contribution across the period requested is above the target.

Inheritance Tax: Tax Allowances

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an (a) estimate of the potential costs and (b) assessment of the potential merits of (i) reducing and (ii) removing (a) Business Relief, (B)  Agricultural Property Relief and (C) other inheritance tax reliefs.

Nigel Huddleston: HMRC publishes the cost of structural and non-structural tax reliefs. The information is available at www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-relief-statistics.

Voluntary Organisations: VAT Exemptions

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing VAT exemption for not-for-profit organisations who provide welfare services to dementia sufferers.

Nigel Huddleston: VAT has been designed as a broad-based tax on consumption, and the twenty per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Whilst there are exceptions to the standard rate, these have always been strictly limited by both legal and fiscal considerations. Welfare services provided by local authorities and similar bodies and charities are exempt from VAT, meaning no VAT is charged to the final consumer.Welfare services provided by state regulated private welfare institutions are also exempt from VAT. State regulated suppliers are those that are registered with the Care Quality Commission, and are eligible for the VAT exemption where they are providing services that are state regulated.The regulation requirement ensures that VAT relief is limited to providers certified as offering safe and high-quality welfare services. This is a long-standing requirement, and there are no plans to make changes to these rules.

Tax Avoidance

Drew Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of publishing the written responses to its consultation entitled Tackling disguised remuneration, which closed on 5 October 2016.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government published a technical note and summary of responses to the Tackling Disguised Remuneration consultation on 5 December 2016: Tackling disguised remuneration. Technical note and summary of responses The Government does not routinely publish individual consultation responses.

Fraud: Self-assessment

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of HMRC processes for (a) identifying and (b) tackling fraudulent self-assessment repayment claims.

Nigel Huddleston: Repayments are a feature of Income Tax Self-Assessment regime and can be generated for many reasons. HMRC continuously monitors its tax repayment systems to prevent criminal attacks on the tax system, fraud; and mitigate the risk of error and non-compliance.

Taxation

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2024 to Question 14168 on Taxation, if he will produce a table for the (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23 financial year.

Nigel Huddleston: HMRC’s Personal Income Statistics by tax year now contain a constituency-level breakdown of taxpayer numbers for the tax year 2021 to 2022. This is the latest outturn data available and can be found below: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65de1b17cf7eb10015f58036/Table_3.15_2122.ods

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Equality

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many staff in their Department have job titles that include the words (a) equality, (b) diversity, (c) inclusion, (d) gender, (e) LGBT and (f) race.

David Rutley: The Government is auditing the cost-effectiveness of all equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) activities, through the review of EDI spending announced last June. As stated in the Autumn Statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Minister for Cabinet Office will be outlining the final proposals in response to the review in due course. Information on job titles is not collected centrally in the FCDO.

Morocco: Western Sahara

Kim Johnson: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2024 to Question 12870 on Morocco: Western Sahara, whether the Government has made representations to the UN Security Council on the imprisonment of Saharawi civilian prisoners in Moroccan prisons.

David Rutley: The UK mission to the United Nations has not made specific representation to the UN Security Council on this matter. However, the UK has consistently supported language in relevant UN Security Council Resolutions that encourages all parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara. The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara. Human rights forms part of our bilateral dialogue with Morocco and we raise concerns with the Moroccan authorities as appropriate.

Israel: Travel Restrictions

Afzal Khan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which individuals from Israel have been banned from entering the UK.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he plans to take further steps to sanction those responsible for settler violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK continues to take a strong stance against settler violence. Extremist settlers, by targeting and attacking Palestinian civilians, are undermining security and stability for both Israelis and PalestiniansOn 12 February, the Foreign Secretary announced sanctions on 4 extremist Israeli settlers who have committed human rights abuses against Palestinian communities in the West Bank. Those now subject to a UK asset freeze, travel and visa ban include Moshe Sharvit, Yinon Levy, Zvi Bar Yosef and Ely Federman. These measures are part of wider UK efforts to support a more stable West Bank, which is vital for the peace and security of both Palestinians and Israelis.We continue to urge Israel to take stronger action to stop settler violence and hold the perpetrators accountable. We will consider additional actions, including further sanctions, as necessary. The UK continues to work with allies and partners, including across the region, to find a path towards a sustainable ceasefire and permanent peace.

Israeli Settlements

Alan Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his Israeli counterpart on the recent announcement on Israel's intentions relating to the construction of additional settlement units in the West Bank.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The recent announcement of plans to build over 3000 new settlement homes in the occupied West Bank is deeply concerning. The UK position on settlements is clear and longstanding. They are illegal under international law. We have repeatedly called for Israel to halt settlement expansion.

Gaza: Israel

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2024 to Question 14379, what the timescale is for his Department's review of its assessment of Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are monitoring closely the situation in Israel and the Occupied-Palestinian Territories. We regularly review advice about Israel's capability and commitment to International Humanitarian Law.

Hamas: UNRWA

Alan Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Israel on the potential involvement of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) staff in the attacks in Israel by Hamas on 7 October 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are appalled by allegations that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel. We are pressing the UN Office of Internal Oversight and Catherine Colonna, who is leading the independent Review Group appointed by the UN Secretary-General, to produce a rapid interim report. We have urged Israel to cooperate fully with the investigation.

Gaza: Israel

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the statement by Human Rights Watch entitled Israel not complying with World Court order in genocide case, published on 26 February 2024.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. Israel must take steps, working with other partners including the UN and Egypt, to significantly increase the flow of aid into Gaza including allowing prolonged humanitarian pauses, opening more routes into Gaza and restoring and sustaining water, fuel and electricity. We have reiterated the need for Israel to open more crossing points into Gaza, for Nitzana and Kerem Shalom to be open for longer, and for Israel to support the UN to distribute aid effectively across the whole of Gaza.We have trebled our aid commitment this financial year and we are doing everything we can to get more aid in and open more crossings. On 21 February, the UK and Jordan air-dropped life-saving aid to the Tal Al-Hawa hospital in northern Gaza. Four tonnes of vital supplies were provided, including medicines, fuel, and food for hospital patients and staff. We are clear that an immediate pause is necessary to get aid in and hostages out, and then we want to build towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to the fighting.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: DP World

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the Answer of 10 July 2023 to Question 192710 on British International Investment: DP World, what the cost to the public purse was of payments made to (a) P&O Ferries and (b) DP World through (i) British International Investment and (ii) other spending by his Department in the period between 17 March 2022 and February 2024.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: British International Investment's (BII) partnership with DP World is supporting the modernising and expansion of three ports in Dakar, Sokhna and Berbera, which aims to increase access to vital goods for 35 million people and add $51 billion to total trade by 2035. Since the answer of 10 July 2023 to Question 192710, no further disbursements have been made by BII. BII has no relationship with P&O Ferries, its investment partnership is solely in certain ports with DP World in Africa. There has been no other payments / funding directly from the FCDO to P&O or DP World in the period between 17 March 2022 and February 2024.

Falkland Islands: Environment Protection

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to support environmental sustainability in the Falkland Islands.

David Rutley: The UK Government continues to offer support and expertise to the Falkland Islands Government, which is responsible for protecting the natural environment of the Falkland Islands. During his visit to the Falkland Islands from 19 to 20 February, the Foreign Secretary saw at first hand the Islanders' work to protect their unique natural environment. The UK Government is providing two new packages of UK support: £50,000 of Darwin Plus funding to tackle wildfires through enhanced Vegetation Fire Training for Preparedness, Prevention, Response and Recovery; and £30,000 from the FCDO to support the Falkland Islands Government in the restoration of native tussac grass habitats. Both of these projects will contribute to protecting and improving the resilience of peat, critical for carbon storage and sequestration. The Ministry of Defence also works with the Falkland Islands Government on shared environmental priorities, including recycling and renewable energy generation.

Pakistan: Development Aid

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment his Department has made of the role of the judiciary in Pakistan in supporting UK funded programmes in that country.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK does not comment or interfere with judicial processes in Pakistan, they are a matter for the Pakistan judicial system. Pakistan's judiciary is not a partner in any UK funded programmes in Pakistan.

Pakistan: Hate Crime

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of its Hate Speech and Disinformation programme in Pakistan in (a) tackling hate speech and (b) helping to hold perpetrators of hate speech to account in that country.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Online Hate Speech and Disinformation Programme (2022-25) works to provide training and spearhead policy discourse on the issue of hate speech and disinformation in Pakistan. For example, the programme trains government officers to identify false and hateful narratives, including those which affect women and religious minorities. The programme has trained over 1000 university students on digital literacy. The programme funded voter education videos and supported a news show on Pakistan Television, inviting experts to discuss disinformation ahead of the Pakistani elections. Holding perpetrators of hate speech to account is a matter for the Pakistani Authorities and Judiciary System.

Pakistan: Minority Groups

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment his Department has made of the role of the Pakistan judiciary in protecting persecuted minorities.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK does not comment or interfere with judicial processes in Pakistan. They are a matter for the Pakistan judicial system.  However, the UK does regularly engage with the Government of Pakistan to advance key priorities and interests, including on human rights and the rule of law. The former Foreign Secretary met the caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-Ul-Haq Kakar, on the 23rd September, where he raised the importance of protecting the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, condemned the violence and discrimination faced by religious minorities in his meeting with Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on 13 September.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Officers: Crimes of Violence

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults on prison officers have involved razors in the last year.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults on prison officers involving razors have resulted in hospitalisation in the last year.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults on prison officers involving razors have resulted in prison officers leaving the service in the last year.

Edward Argar: The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors in the last year could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors which have resulted in hospitalisation in the last year could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors that have resulted in prison officers leaving the service in the last year could also only be obtained at disproportionate cost. We are committed to making prisons safe places to work and recognise the risks associated with the current wet shave razor provision. In the 2021 Prison Safety White Paper we committed to trial alternatives to wet shave razors, and during 2022 and 2023 six pilots have been carried out in the male estate and one in the female estate. The evaluation of these pilots will conclude in March 2024 and will inform decisions about future shaving provision in prisons.

Cultural Heritage: Probate

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the contribution of the preservation of original probate documents to cultural heritage.

Mike Freer: The Government has recently concluded a consultation on storage and preservation of wills. We will be publishing the response later this year, and this will address these issues and consider possible options for reform.

Ministry of Justice: Press

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what subscriptions to (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) online journals his Department has paid for in each of the last three financial years.

Mike Freer: In the financial year 2021/2022, the Ministry of Justice Press Office subscribed to (a) The Times and Telegraph online newspapers, (b) No magazines and (c) No online journals.In the financial year 2022/2023, the Ministry of Justice Press Office subscribed to (a) The Times and Telegraph online newspapers, (b) No magazines and (c) No online journals.In the financial year 2023/2024, the Ministry of Justice Press Office subscribed to (a) The Times and Telegraph online newspapers; and a selection of physical newspapers delivered daily via a third party. Titles include: The Times, Daily Mail. Daily Telegraph, The Sun, Daily Mirror, Guardian, Daily Express and Financial Times as well as some Sunday editions of national newspapers. (b) No magazines and (c) No online journals.This figure is for the Ministry of Justice Press Office team only.

Probate

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy that original probate documents are permanently preserved.

Mike Freer: The Government has just undertaken a consultation on the storage and preservation of wills and other documents submitted in applications for probate. We will be publishing our response, setting out the outcome of the consultation, later this year.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Church of England: Music

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has taken steps to support the musical tradition of the Church of England in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

Julia Lopez: HM Government has a strong commitment to all forms of music, including church music. Government support for church music is primarily channelled through Arts Council England, which between 2019/20 and 2023/24 has funded activity with a choral element or focus by more than £190 million. Although this funding is not specifically aimed at music traditional to the Church of England, this funding has supported the development, touring and promotion of choral music throughout England, including organisations the focus of which is on music in the tradition of the Church of England.Government provides support for churches via the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which provides grants to cover the VAT expenses associated with repair and conservation of listed churches. This includes conservation efforts for monuments situated in listed places of worship. At present there is up to £42m available per year and this amount of funding has been secured until 31 March 2025. One of the eligible costs for the LPWGS is pipe organs permanently fixed to the structure of the listed building, with essential restoration and repair works being enabled through Government financial support. Since August 2022, £39,054,024 has been funded to historic churches across the UK through the grant scheme. In the Romford constituency specifically, the total funding since August 2022 has been £60,619.

Boxing: HIV Infection

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to allow people living with HIV to compete in boxing professionally.

Stuart Andrew: National Governing Bodies are responsible for the regulation of their sports, and are independent of Government.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will continue to engage with the boxing authorities to discuss a range of issues relating to participation in sport, including participation by people living with HIV.

Big Lottery Fund: Equality

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in the Big Lottery Fund have job titles which include the words (a) equality, (b) diversity, (c) inclusion, (d) gender, (e) LGBT and (f) race.

Stuart Andrew: The National Lottery Community Fund currently has four employees with job titles which include the words (a) equality, (b) diversity, (c) inclusion, (d) gender, (e) LGBT or (f) race.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Equality

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in their Department have job titles that include the words (a) equality, (b) diversity, (c) inclusion, (d) gender, (e) LGBT and (f) race.

Julia Lopez: There are five roles in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport that contain any of these words. This includes roles in our sector teams with responsibility for taking forward the government’s commitment to increasing participation in sport.The Government is auditing the cost-effectiveness of all activities that support the equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) of the workforce, through the review of EDI spending announced last June. As stated in the Autumn Statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Minister for Cabinet Office will be outlining the final proposals in response to the review in due course.

Football: Scotland

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2024 to Question 15373 on BBC Scotland, whether representations were made on extending the list of free-to-air matches to include Scottish (a) men's and (b) women's international (i) European and (ii) World cup qualifying fixtures.

Julia Lopez: As outlined previously, Ministers and officials regularly receive representations from the Scottish Government on a range of issues. Members of the Scottish Government have raised the issue of Men’s football matches directly with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.Sports policy is devolved. The Government’s view therefore remains that it would be for the Scottish Government to comprehensively evaluate whether there is currently the right balance between Scottish rights holders' ability to generate sufficient income to reinvest in Scottish sport, and access for Scottish audiences to those sporting events. The UK Government would then take those considerations into account.

Department for Transport

Cars: Carbon Emissions

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what was the CO2 intensity for new internal combustion car engines in each of the last three years.

Anthony Browne: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Railways: Cost Effectiveness

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to pages 8 and 36 of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, CP423, published in May 2021, if he will publish the workings behind the £1.5 billion annual cost savings after an initial five year implementation period expected from reforms to the railway proposed in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail.

Huw Merriman: We're committed to reforming the railways and we are getting on with delivering improvements for passengers, freight customers and the taxpayer. Recurring annual savings set out in the Plan for Rail come from a new commercial model, improvement in fares ticketing and retail, a new industry structure and workforce reforms.

Railways: Cost Effectiveness

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his latest estimate is of the recurring annual cost savings after an initial five year implementation period from reforms proposed in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail.

Huw Merriman: We're committed to reforming the railways and are getting on with delivering improvements for passengers, freight customers and the taxpayer. Industry experts’ suggested savings are set out in the Plan for Rail.

Railways: Cost Effectiveness

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason supporting documents for the draft Rail Reform Bill published on 20 February 2024 do not reference the expected £1.5 billion in recurring annual savings after an initial five year implementation period from reforms proposed in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, as referenced on pages 8 and 36 of that plan.

Huw Merriman: The supporting documents for the draft Rail Reform Bill refer only to costs and savings from a new industry structure. Recurring annual savings set out in the Plan for Rail come from a new commercial model, improvement in fares ticketing and retail, a new industry structure and workforce reforms.

Railways: Cost Effectiveness

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Statement of 20 February 2024 on Government response to the consultation on rail reform legislation and draft Rail Reform Bill, HCWS267, what estimate he has made of the savings available to the public purse from the Government's proposals on rail reform; and how that calculation was made.

Huw Merriman: The Written Statement references the draft Rail Reform Bill. The Impact Assessment published alongside the draft Bill gives estimates of costs and savings related to the proposals for a new industry structure. We are committed to reforming the railways and we are getting on with delivering improvements for passengers, freight customers and the taxpayer. Industry experts’ suggested savings are set out in the Plan for Rail.

Shipping: Crew

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's statistical dataset entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry, published on 22 February 2024, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the annual increase in seafarers working regularly at sea on vessels owned by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping.

Guy Opperman: The increase in seafarers employed by UK Chamber of Shipping members in 2023 is driven by an increased number of Ratings and Uncertificated Officers. This trend can be affected by a number of factors, including new companies joining and leaving the UK Chamber of Shipping. In 2023, the increase in Ratings was driven by an increase in reporting by a single cruise company.

Shipping: Crew

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Section 3 of his Department's dataset entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2023, published on 22 February 2024, if he will make it his policy to increase the (a) number and (b) proportion of UK seafarers working on merchant ships owned by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Transport remains committed to growing the UK seafaring population and promoting the Merchant Navy as a career choice. The Department is future proofing seafarer training through the Cadet Training and Modernisation programme and the Ratings Review. The Department funds 50% of the cost of cadet training through the Support for Maritime Training fund and is supporting diversity through initiatives such as the Roadshow for Girls, which promotes STEM and maritime careers.The Department has also amended UK legislation, increasing seafarer employment protections and allowing UK seafarers to compete for jobs on a level playing field. We continue to promote seafarer welfare and employment protection on the international stage. Our policies ensure foreign seafarers are paid a fair wage when working in the UK. UK visa policies further protect foreign seafarers from wage differential and reduce industry reliance on cheaper overseas labour at the expense of UK seafarers.

Shipping: Crew

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the publication entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2023, published on 22 February 2024, if he will make an estimate of the number of UK seafarers working at sea on merchant ships that are not owned by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping.

Guy Opperman: The Department of Transport does not have an estimate for the number of UK seafarers working at sea on merchant ships that are not owned by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping (CoS).

Department for Transport: Press

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what subscriptions to (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) online journals his Department has paid for in each of the last three financial years.

Anthony Browne: The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost. In the central Department for Transport, subscriptions to newspapers, magazines and online journals are managed individually by each team. Therefore, the information is not held centrally.

Department for Transport: DP World and P&O Ferries

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 18 July 2023 to Question 193953 on Department for Transport: DP World and P&O Ferries, whether (a) his Department has and (b) executive agencies of his Department have (i) made payments and (ii) awarded grants to (A) P&O Ferries and (B) DP World since 17 March 2022.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

UK Trade with EU: Freight

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of goods in value (a) imported from and (b) exported to the European Union except the Republic of Ireland were conveyed by (i) sea, (ii) air, (iii) rail, (iv) road and ferry and (v) road and Channel tunnel in each of the last five years.

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of goods in value (a) imported from and (b) exported to the European Union passed through the Port of Dover in each of the last five years.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Transport does not collect data on the value of goods import and exported through the border. His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) do collect this data and is available for public use at: https://www.uktradeinfo.com/trade-data/

Department for Business and Trade

New Businesses: Investment

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment her Department has made of the equality impact of the increase in the angel investment annual income threshold.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government is aware of the recent increase in the threshold level for High Net Worth individuals as defined under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Self-certification under this exemption is one of several ways in which individual investors can make angel investments. Other options include self-certifying as a sophisticated investor through membership of an angel group or syndicate for at least six months, or accessing investments through a firm authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.HM Treasury sponsors the relevant legislation and hence the Department for Business and Trade has not sought to assess the equality impact of this change.

New Businesses: Investment

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions his Department has had with stakeholders on the decision to increase the angel investment annual income threshold to £170,000.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department for Business and Trade has received several representations about the recent increase in the threshold level for angel investors wishing to self-certify as High Net Worth individuals under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. These representations have been referred to HM Treasury which is the sponsor of this legislation.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Press

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what subscriptions to (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) online journals her Department has paid for in each of the last three financial years.

Andrew Griffith: As the Hon Member will know, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) was only created in February 2023 so did not exist three years ago. Analysis of transactions shows that £157,441 has been spent to date in DSIT on subscriptions of all types.

European Innovation Council and Innovate UK

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the (a) similarities and (b) differences between the European Innovation Council and Innovate UK.

Andrew Griffith: Both organisations bridge the funding gap for small and medium-sized enterprises to succeed through a range of support mechanisms. These include funding products for thematic R&D projects to help individual businesses take their ideas towards commercialisation; and providing support services including advisors to support business access to global markets. The European Innovation Council provides the opportunity for businesses to seek direct equity investment. The British Business Bank, a close partner of Innovate UK, offer some similar products and Innovate UK enables connectivity with trusted investors to bring about private investment aligned with its funding and support.

Online Safety Act 2023: Prosecutions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many prosecutions have taken place under the false communications offence as set out in section 179 of the Online Safety Act 2023.

Saqib Bhatti: The false communications offence was introduced by the Online Safety Act 2023 (“the Act”). The communication offences in the Act, including the false communications offence were commenced on 31 January this year. The Ministry of Justice publish information on prosecutions, convictions and sentence outcomes under specific legislation. The Act gained Royal Assent in October 2023; therefore, it is not yet available in the published figures. Figures up to December 2023 are intended for publication in May 2024.

Media Literacy Task Force

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Media Literacy Taskforce has taken to protect the public from (a) misinformation and (b) disinformation.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if her Department will publish the recent work of the Media Literacy Taskforce.

Saqib Bhatti: The Media Literacy Taskforce, a body of 17 media literacy experts drawn from the tech industry, civil society, the press sector and academia, was established in March 2022. DSIT consults the Taskforce on how to tackle the key challenges facing the media literacy landscape, in particular that of how to improve provision for citizens who are disengaged or lack access to support. For example, the Taskforce played a key role in launching the Media Literacy Taskforce Fund, a grant scheme through which we awarded over £800,000 to four innovative media literacy projects delivered over the financial years 2022/23 and 2023/24. These projects seek to build the online safety and critical thinking skills of users from all age groups, empowering them to respond effectively to the threats posed by mis- and disinformation, along with other online harms. Taskforce members advised the government on which projects should be awarded funding, and then helped grant recipients to maximise the impact of their projects. The Taskforce does not produce its own reports or other written materials for publication. However, Government has committed to publishing annual Action Plans until the end of Financial Year 2024/2025, setting out initiatives to meet the Online Media Literacy Strategy’s ambition. All projects funded in relation to the Strategy are evaluated robustly and findings will be published on gov.uk, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of future media literacy initiatives and informing government policy moving forward.

Horizon Europe

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps to (a) expand the Government's support for the Horizon Europe pump priming collaboration and (b) end the rule that research applications to Horizon Europe must identify a call and topic in Pillar 2.

Andrew Griffith: The British Academy has received considerable interest in the Pump Priming grants scheme, and the Government is pleased with the level of engagement, including from those new to the programme. There are no plans to expand the recently launched pump priming grants. Applications for Horizon Europe grants are made directly to the European Commission. All calls within Horizon Europe work programme 2024 and beyond are funded by the UK’s association to Horizon Europe.

Online Safety Act 2023: Enforcement and Fines

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what (a) fines and (b) enforcement actions have been imposed upon telecoms providers since the Online Safety Act 2023 came into force.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether any telecoms provider has been fined up to a maximum of 10 per cent of its relative turnover as set out in the Online Safety Act 2023, since that Act came into force.

Saqib Bhatti: The Online Safety Act received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. As with other areas it regulates, Ofcom must first establish codes of practice and enforcement guidance, before duties come into force and enforcement action can be taken. Ofcom has begun a programme of consultations on the relevant codes and guidance, which are expected to be in force by early 2025. The new laws in the Act apply to online search services and services that allow users to post content or interact with each other online. They do not apply to services outside of this scope – e.g. ‘offline’ telecoms services.

Digital Technology: Disadvantaged

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department held discussions with (a) industry stakeholders, (b) local government and (c) third sector advocacy organisations before establishing an inter-ministerial group on tackling digital exclusion.

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the (a) membership and (b) annual budget is of the inter-ministerial group on tackling digital exclusion.

Saqib Bhatti: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is responsible for coordinating HMG digital inclusion policy as part of its commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind in the digital age.Digital inclusion is a cross-cutting issue that spans social engagement, education, employment, access to services and many more elements of everyday life. Responsibility for relevant policies, activities and budgets sit across government. For example, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is exploring options for funding research to improve the Government’s evidence base on digital exclusion. We have and will continue to work with key stakeholders across Government on digital exclusion issues. Each department leads and owns relationships with stakeholders in their policy areas. The Government established a cross-Whitehall ministerial group in response to a recommendation from the House of Lords Communication and Digital Committee’s report on ‘Digital Exclusion’. The ministerial group aims to drive progress and accountability on digital inclusion priorities across Government, setting clear objectives, monitoring delivery, and engaging with relevant sector experts to seek input and advice. The first ministerial group meeting took place in September 2023, chaired by the then Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, Paul Scully. Ministers attended from the Cabinet Office, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Department for Culture, Media & Sport, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education, and His Majesty's Treasury. We expect these departments to make up the core membership of the group, which will meet again in March 2024.

Home Office

Asylum: County Durham

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has received representations from Durham County Council on the conversion of family homes into houses of multiple occupation for the accommodation of asylum seekers by the Mears Group.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide accommodation to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while their application for asylum is being considered. The Home Office hold monthly meetings between asylum accommodation contract providers, Strategic Migration Partnerships and local authorities for each region. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss proposed asylum dispersal properties, allowing the views of local authorities to be aired for Home Office consideration.

Asylum: Pregnancy

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the number of live births that occurred to women who arrived in the UK while pregnant and seeking asylum in the last five years.

Tom Pursglove: This information is not recorded in a reportable format.

Youth Mobility Scheme

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with how many countries his Department is having bilateral discussions on Youth Mobility Scheme agreements.

Tom Pursglove: We remain open to negotiating Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) arrangements with other countries and territories, including EU Member States. However, as each YMS is subject to a bilateral, reciprocal agreement which also provides benefits to UK nationals, with the detail negotiated and agreed between the relevant parties, we are unable to disclose the detail of negotiations as they occur. Further details of additional YMS arrangements will be announced once they are concluded.

Refugees: Resettlement

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding he plans to allocate to refugee integration in 2024.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funds he plans to provide for the UK’s Global Refugee Forum 2023 pledge on continued support for the integration of refugees in the UK.

Tom Pursglove: As pledged at the Global Refugee Forum 2023, the Government remains committed to enabling resettled refugees in rebuilding their lives in the UK. That is why refugees, as well as individuals arriving via our resettlement schemes with Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, have access to mainstream benefits and services to support their integration.The Home Office also provides local authorities with a core tariff of £20,520 per person to cover resettlement and integration costs for those who arrive through the UK Resettlement Scheme, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme or the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy. In the first year, local authorities also receive up to £4,500 per child for education and £850 to cover additional English language provision for adults, and health partners receive £2,600 per individual to cover healthcare.Those granted protection through the asylum system are offered support from Migrant Help or their partner organisation. This support includes providing advice on accessing the labour market, on applying for Universal Credit, and signposting to local authorities for assistance with housing.Refugees who arrived through safe and legal routes or were granted Refugee Permission to Stay on or after 28 June 2022 have access to the Refugee Employability Programme (REP). This launched in England in September 2023 and delivers a range of activities to support refugees, including employment, English language and integration support.

Visas: Ukraine

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions his Department had with Ukrainian refugees ahead of the decision to extend visas by 18 months.

Tom Pursglove: In response to calls for certainty about the future of the Ukraine visa schemes from the Ukrainian community, on 18 February we announced that existing Ukraine scheme visa holders will be able to apply for permission to remain in the UK for an additional 18 months under a new Ukraine Permission Extension scheme set to open in early 2025 (before the first UKR scheme visas start to expire in March 2025).Since the announcement, alongside colleagues in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, we have participated in extensive engagement with the Ukrainian community via an ongoing programme of stakeholder engagement.

Visas: Foreign Investment in UK

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to publish the review into the Tier 1 investor visa route.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement of 12 January 2023 provided the findings of the review and represented the Home Office’s commitments given by a previous Home Secretary (the Rt Hon Amber Rudd) to undertake a review of the operation of the Tier 1 Investor visa route between 30 June 2008 and 06 April 2015. The Tier 1 (Investor) route was closed on 17 February 2022. The Government will not be publishing anything further in connection with the review.As set out in the Home Secretary’s statement, the review found a small minority of individuals connected to the route were at risk of having obtained their wealth through illicit or criminal means. Given the importance of ensuring the effective and independent law enforcement processes of our operational partners, we will not be commenting further.

Department for Work and Pensions

Poverty: Government Assistance

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure support schemes keep pace with inflation.

Jo Churchill: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is required by law to undertake an annual review of State Pension and benefit rates. Most of these will increase by 6.7% from April 2024, in line with the increase in the Consumer Prices Index in the year to September 2023. The basic State Pension, full rate of the new State Pension and Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit will increase by 8.5%, in line with the growth in average weekly earning in the year to May-July 2023. The increase to all these State Pensions and benefits in April 2023 was 10.1%, in line with the increase in the Consumer Prices Index in the year to September 2022 and the Government’s manifesto commitment to the triple lock for the new and basic State Pensions. The Government will also be investing £1.2 billion restoring Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents. This significant investment will ensure 1.6 million low-income private renters will gain on average, nearly £800 per year in additional help towards their rental costs in 2024/25. From April 2024, the National Living Wage is set to increase by 9.8% to £11.44 an hour. This represents an increase of over £1,800 to the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the National Living Wage and is expected to benefit over 2.7 million low-paid workers. The equivalent increase in April 2023 was 9.7%. The Government understand the pressures people have been facing with the cost of living and is committed to reducing poverty and supporting low-income families. This commitment is demonstrated by the package of additional support for the most vulnerable provided by one of the largest support packages in Europe. This includes the current Household Support Fund, which is worth £842 million and runs until 31 March 2024 in England. The Devolved Administrations receive Barnett Formula funding as a result of this, bringing the total investment to £1 billion. Taken together, including the measures outlined above, support to households to help with the high cost of living in total amounts to £104 billion over the period 2022/23 to 2024/25.

Department for Work and Pensions: Press

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what subscriptions to (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) online journals his Department has paid for in each of the last three financial years.

Paul Maynard: The attached spreadsheet lists newspapers, magazines and online journals that have been paid for by DWP in each of the last three years. All journals are provided digitally apart from one print title – Vachers. A small number of print journals are provided to ministers and press office with their newspaper deliveries. These are listed on the Newspapers tab.Attachment (xlsx, 20.8KB)

Statutory Sick Pay

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the statutory sick pay system on (a) older and (b) disabled workers.

Jo Churchill: The Government’s 2019 Health is Everyone’s Business Consultation proposed a package of reforms which aimed to reduce ill-health related job loss and support disabled people and people with health conditions to stay in and thrive in work. The consultation looked at the impact the current SSP system had on all workers, including older and disabled workers.

Access to Work Scheme

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were awaiting a decision on their Access to Work application on 1 January 2024.

Mims Davies: On 1 January 2024, there were 24,874 people awaiting a decision on their Access to Work application. Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit: Mining

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of former miners have had an application for industrial injuries disablement benefits rejected over the last 10 years.

Mims Davies: The table below shows the number of assessments by outcome for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) for people whose Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code on which the IIDB claim is based, is ‘Mining and Quarrying’ over the last 10 years from 2013/14 to 2022/23. NumberPercentageAccepted - payable8,45025%Accepted - not payable4,20012%Accepted – no loss of faculty00%Disallowed19,57057%Withdrawn4901%Not applicable / Unknown1,5705%Total34,290100%  Individual outcome categories do not sum to total due to rounding. Information on Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) assessments by decision type and Standard Industrial Classification code can be found on Stat-Xplore. You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

Poverty: Government Assistance

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people living in destitution in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England.

Jo Churchill: The Government is committed to reducing poverty and supporting low-income families. We expect to spend around £276bn through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2023/24 including around £124bn on people of working age and children. From this April, working age benefits will increase by 6.7% and, we are also raising the Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents, benefiting 1.6 million low-income households. With over 900,000 vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting people to move into and progress in work, an approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risk of poverty. In 2021/22 working age adults living in workless families were 7 times more likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than working age adults in families where all adults work. Our core Jobcentre offer provides a range of options to help people into work, including face-to-face time with Work Coaches and targeted employment support. Through our in-work progression offer, which is now live across all Jobcentres in Great Britain, we estimate that around 1.2m low-paid claimants are eligible for Work Coach support to help them increase their earnings. We will also increase the National Living Wage by 9.8% to £11.44 for workers aged 21 years and over from this April - an annual increase in gross earnings of over £1800 for someone working full-time on the National Living Wage.

Jobcentres: Armed Forces

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what metrics his Department uses to measure the impact of armed forces champions in Jobcentres.

Mims Davies: As part of the Armed Forces Covenant the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has initiatives which help current and former Armed Forces personnel and their families. This includes the role of the Armed Forces Champion in every Jobcentre Plus District, who provide specialist support to members of the Armed Forces community and build Work Coach capability in our Jobcentres. Armed Forces Champions develop and maintain joint working relationships, provide specialist support to all Jobcentre staff and act as the first point of contact in communities for organisations and services. Although there is no specific metrics used, the Department regularly evaluates the role to ensure we deliver the best service possible and we have had, and continue to receive, positive feedback from customers and external stakeholders regarding their experience of working with Armed Forces Champions.

Cabinet Office

National Security

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen national security.

Alex Burghart: The Cabinet Office leads and coordinates the UK’s national security crisis response through the Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBR), and national security policy through the National Security Council structures. This includes the National Cyber Strategy, National Security and Investment Programme, and the Biological Security Strategy, all of which the department is taking essential steps to deliver.Key successes in 2023 included publishing the Integrated Review Refresh, passing the National Security Act, launching the Emergency Alerting service, and delivering the Atlantic Declaration and risk elements of the AI Summit. So far in 2024, we have launched a new Strategic Dialogue on Biological Security with the US and continued to coordinate the response to the conflict in Gaza and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Cybersecurity

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen cyber security.

Alex Burghart: The National Cyber Strategy 2022 sets out how the UK will continue to be a leading responsible and democratic cyber power, able to protect and promote our interests in and through cyberspace. It is supported by more than £2.6 billion of investment over three years with a particular emphasis on improving the government’s own cyber security. The Strategy is delivering a step-change in the UK’s cyber resilience with the government leading the way, adopting a more proactive and sustained campaign approach to deter our adversaries, putting cyber power at the heart of the UK’s foreign policy agenda, whilst protecting and pursuing a competitive advantage in the underpinning technologies that are critical to cyberspace. It also emphasises a whole-of-society approach calling on all parts of society to play their part in reinforcing the UK’s economic and strategic strengths in cyberspace.In August 2023 the Government published its first annual report on progress implementing the Strategy. The report highlighted the success in the last twelve months in improving cyber resilience through the NCSC Cyber Action Plan and Cyber Essentials as well as disruptions such as the first tranche of cyber sanctions and the takedown of the GENESIS marketplace, a go-to service for cyber-criminals.

Office of Government Property: Software

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 123 of the Cabinet Office Annual Reports and Accounts 2022-23, published on 19 September 2023, what the intangible software development asset developed by the Office for Government Property was; and for what reason there was a change in approach to the project.

Alex Burghart: The Intangible asset relates to build costs of a bespoke software solution to capture strategic information across government property. A recovery of £300,000 (incl VAT) was made from the technology supplier. This recovery is not reflected in the £1,202,000 figure (on page 123).The project approach changed as the technology supplier was unable to deliver a solution to meet the requirements, despite multiple deadline extensions. Based on commercial advice, the contract was terminated. A new contract has now been awarded to a provider of an off-the-shelf product, which is currently being configured. Where possible, products that were developed in the previous written off solution, such as user requirements and data standard, have been recycled for the current delivery.

Government Departments: Fujitsu

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many contracts are held to use Fujitsu software by each Government department; and whether he plans to review those contracts.

Alex Burghart: Details of central government contracts where the contract value is above £12,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/SearchAs with all contracts, we continue to keep Fujitsu's conduct and commercial performance under review.

Government Departments: Software

Pat McFadden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding was (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on software updates to legacy computer systems in departments that no longer exist in each of the last three financial years.

Alex Burghart: The budget assigned to complete remediation of legacy IT is defined and agreed between the Chief Digital Information Officer and ultimately the Accounting Officer of each Department and HM Treasury. The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), in the Cabinet Office, does not have visibility of these figures directly, nor does CDDO monitor individual departments' technology spending on legacy treatment. CDDO has established a programme to support departments in treating legacy. CDDO has agreed a framework to identify ‘red-rated’ systems, indicating high levels of risk surrounding the asset. Departments have committed to have remediation plans in place for these systems by 2025.

Question

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has issued to (a) Ministers and (b) staff on maintaining the confidentiality of official documents after they leave office.

Alex Burghart: In addition to the requirements set out in the Ministerial Code, Ministers are reminded on leaving office of their ongoing duty of confidentiality and the Official Secrets Act.Departments and agencies are obliged to remind those who leave the civil service that they remain subject to the requirement in Civil Service Code not to disclose official information without authority, which continues to apply after leaving their role, as well as the Official Secrets Act.The Civil Service Management Code sets out more detail on the requirements on civil servants with regards to maintaining confidentiality, including key principles (section 4.1.3.a.) and standards (4.2.4), and the obligations on departments and agencies (4.2.1).

Civil Servants: Veterans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of veterans were employed via the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative in the West Midlands in the last 12 months.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of veterans from minority ethnic backgrounds were employed via the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative in the last 12 months.

Johnny Mercer: There are a range of Civil Service recruitment initiatives for veterans, offering a fulfilling career in public service which makes the most of the skills and capability they have to offer.Over 1,000 veterans to date have secured a job in the Civil Service through the ‘Great Place to Work for Veterans’ initiative and a further 200 veterans have been recruited through the 'Going Forward Into Employment' initiative.The Civil Service has career opportunities for veterans from all walks of life, backgrounds, identities and geographic locations throughout the UK.

Cabinet Office: Apprentices

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department (a) paid in apprenticeship levy fees and (b) spent from its apprenticeship levy funds between September 2021 and August 2023.

John Glen: The Cabinet Office has contributed £6,388,833 into its apprenticeship levy funds between 01 September 2021 and 31 August 2023. This includes the 10% government top up.During the same period the department has spent £2,981,047 from its apprenticeship levy funds.

Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2024 to Question 12241 on Veterans, when he plans to implement the recommendations of the Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans, published on 17 July 2023.

Johnny Mercer: The Government remains committed to ensuring that our welfare services for veterans are fit for purpose. This is why the response to the Welfare Services Review was published on 11 December 2023, and included commitments on taking forward the intentions of the recommendations. Work is already underway in both the Office for Veterans’ Affairs and Ministry of Defence, and with stakeholders to implement changes. These include the retirement of the Veterans UK brand and improvements to the Veterans’ Gateway.

Chronic Illnesses and Death: Mould

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of mould-related (a) deaths and (b) illnesses in (i) England and (ii) Romford constituency in the last three years.

John Glen: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 22nd February is attached.UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 126.7KB)

Emergencies: Planning

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress his Department has made on strengthening national resilience.

John Glen: Strengthening national resilience is a key priority for the Government. In December 2023, the Deputy Prime Minister delivered the first Annual Statement to Parliament on risk and resilience and published the 2023 Implementation Update, which is available on GOV.UK. The update sets out the progress we have made to strengthen the UK’s national resilience since the publication of the Resilience Framework with context of the current risk landscape we face. On 6 February 2024, we convened the UK Resilience Forum to garner insight from key stakeholders from across the resilience system and drive a whole of society approach. Details from the meeting are available on GOV.UK. Later this year, the Deputy Prime Minister will report to Parliament on the progress made implementing the UK Biological Security Strategy which was published in June 2023.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Press

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, which (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) online journals his Department subscribed to in each of the last three financial years.

Fay Jones: The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales (OSSW) subscribed to the following newspapers, magazines and online journals in the last three financial years. Financial YearSubscription2021-22The Times, The Financial Times, The Telegraph and The Western Mail.2022-23 The Times, The Financial Times, The Telegraph and GOLWG2023-24 to dateThe Times, The Financial Times, The Telegraph, GOLWG and The Spectator

Department for Education

Department for Education: Apprentices

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department (a) paid in apprenticeship levy fees and (b) spent from its apprenticeship levy funds between September 2021 and August 2023.

Robert Halfon: Between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2023, the department’s levy declarations, including the 10% government top-up and as shown in its apprenticeship service account, was £4 million. In the same period, the department’s levy spend was £4.1 million.The funds in apprenticeship service accounts are available for levy-paying employers to draw on for 24 months before they expire on a rolling, month-by-month basis.This spend covers the costs of apprenticeship training and assessment and levy transfers to other employers. It excludes any additional payments made to employers, providers, and apprentices, such as the care leaver’s bursary.

Alternative Education and Special Educational Needs

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the availability of (a) SEND and (b) alternative provision placements.

David Johnston: Local authorities are responsible for providing enough school places for children in their area.The department supports local authorities to provide sufficient school places through capital funding and has published over £1.5 billion of High Needs Provision Capital Allocations for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years. This funding is allocated to local authorities to support them to deliver new places and improve their existing provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) as well as those who require alternative provision (AP). This funding forms part of the department’s transformational investment of £2.6 billion in new high needs provision between 2022 and 2025 and is on top of its ongoing delivery of new special and AP free schools.Last summer, the department began collecting data from local authorities on available capacity in special schools, SEND units and resourced provision, along with corresponding forecasts of demand for these places. This data will help the department to more effectively support local authorities to fulfil their statutory duty to provide sufficient specialist places.High needs funding to help local authorities with the ongoing costs of provision for children and young people with complex SEND and those in AP is increasing to over £10.5 billion next year, which is an increase of over 60% from the 2019/20 allocations.

Schools: Discipline

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to commence section 93A of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.

Damian Hinds: The department will commence Section 93a of the Education and Inspections Act 2006, making recording and reporting incidents of reasonable force a legal duty. This will be enacted to coincide with the publication of updates to the ‘Use of reasonable force’ guidance, originally published in 2013, to ensure that schools have adequate advice on how they should be recording and reporting any incidents where reasonable force, including restrictive interventions, is used.

Schools: Ventilation

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department issues guidance for schools on maintaining safe CO2 levels in classrooms.

Damian Hinds: The department has published ‘Building Bulletin 101’, which provides non-statutory guidance on ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-101-ventilation-for-school-buildings.The department has also produced guidance on using CO2 monitors and managing ventilation, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-co-monitors-and-air-cleaning-units-in-education-and-care-settings.Further guidance on ventilation is included in the ‘Good Estate Management for Schools guide’, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety.

Ministry of Defence

Army Reserve

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of posting permanent staff instructors to Army Reserves volunteer sub-units.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will post permanent staff instructors to Army Reserves volunteer sub-units.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Permanent Staff Instructors continue to have a vital role in planning and executing training for Army Reservists. Under Future Soldier, every Army Reserve sub-unit is expected to have two Permanent Staff Instructors.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has taken steps to increase Armed Forces recruitment from Commonwealth countries.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Commonwealth citizens have a long and distinguished history of service in the UK Armed Forces, and we continue to value the contribution they make. The recruitment of Commonwealth citizens is against the 1,350 per annum limit for the Armed Forces introduced on 5 November 2018, a 15% limit per Army cap badge, and the roles available. These limits remain extant but are kept under review.

Military Decorations

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to take steps to recognise the service of British and allied soldiers during the Cold War period.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 January 2024 to Question 7570 to the hon. Member for Barnsley Central (Dan Jarvis).Military Decorations (docx, 14.9KB)

LGBT Veterans Independent Review

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the accessibility of the application scheme for LGBT veterans to apply for restorative measures.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Government worked with LGBT Veterans and charities at pace to implement an accessible process for LGBT veterans to apply for restorative measures. The Government has provided guidance to applicants on GOV.UK, explaining each restorative measure, the application process, estimated delivery timelines and contact information. The application forms ensure that all new and planned non-financial restorative measures can be applied to in one single application, with applicants selecting their preferred method of engagement. Defence is committed to making restorative measures easily accessible for our valued LGBT veterans and encourages them to access the guidance and application forms on GOV.UK.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

National Grid: Carbon Emissions

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate her Department has made of the cost of decarbonising the electricity grid by (a) 2030 and (b) 2050.

Graham Stuart: The Department published a paper looking at the power sector in 2050 and the impact of decarbonisation on annual system costs incurred in the same year[1]. The paper identifies a range of illustrative low-cost, low-carbon electricity generation mixes that are consistent with meeting Net Zero by 2050. Total annual system costs for these mixes range from £66 to £82 billion in 2022 prices. No similar analysis was performed for 2030.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/modelling-2050-electricity-system-analysis [1] Modelling 2050 – electricity system analysis - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Energy Company Obligation

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of expanding the ECO4 scheme eligibility criteria to include households with a total annual income above £30,000.

Amanda Solloway: Households may qualify for support under ECO4 where a member of the household receives a qualifying means-tested benefit, regardless of the total household income. The Flexible Eligibility element of the scheme (ECO Flex) allows a gross combined household income of £31,000, with additional routes (not based on income) for households where a member has been diagnosed with a specific long-term health condition which could be impacted by living in a cold home.

Small Modular Reactors: Cumbria

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department made of the adequacy of proposals from Solway Community Power Company for the development of small modular reactors at Moorside; how much land is required for that proposed development; and how many meetings have taken place between the Department and that company.

Andrew Bowie: The Department has had multiple engagements with Community Power Limited but has not at present made any assessment on their proposal. The Government launched the Alternative Routes to Market for New Nuclear Projects consultation on the 11th January 2024. This consultation explores what steps Government can take to enable different routes to market for Advanced Nuclear Technologies (ANTs) and how Government can support the private sector to bring forward new nuclear projects. In the case of Moorside, it would be natural for the site’s location adjacent to Sellafield to be factored into any decision.

Offshore Industry

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State, Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make it her policy to require UK oil and gas companies to (a) clean up legacy pollution and (b) adhere to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, before divesting of their foreign subsidiaries.

Andrew Bowie: The UK encourages a coordinated effort between national governments, oil and gas companies, and communities to bring an end to all forms of oil contamination. We continue to work with overseas governments to support initiatives to reduce the negative impact of oil and gas production overseas. The UK Government has consistently supported the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and is clear that we expect UK businesses to comply with all applicable laws; identify and prevent human rights risks; and behave in line with the UNGPs.

Nuclear Power Stations: Cumbria

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment her Department has made of the viability of Moorside as a nuclear development site; and whether her Department has had recent discussions with Sellafield Ltd on the land requirements for developing that site.

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the decision-making process is for the potential release of land by the Nuclear Development Authority for nuclear development sites at Moorside.

Andrew Bowie: Moorside is a candidate for new nuclear and one of a number of potential sites that could host civil nuclear projects. Whilst Great British Nuclear is working with the Government to support access to potential sites, no decisions have been made at present. In the case of Moorside, it would be natural for the site’s location adjacent to Sellafield to be factored into any decision.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Press

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) online journals his Department subscribed to in each of the last three financial years.

Mr Steve Baker: (a) NewspapersThe Northern Ireland Office has subscribed to the following newspapers in the last three financial years: The Belfast Telegraph online; The Financial Times online and print; The Independent online; The Irish News online; The Irish Independent online; The Irish Times online; The Newsletter online; The Telegraph online and print; The Times print and online; The Guardian print; Daily Mail print; Daily Express print; The Sun print; Daily Mirror print. (b) Magazines and (c) online journals The Northern Ireland Office has not subscribed to any magazines or online journals in the last three financial years.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Press

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what subscriptions to (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) online journals his Department has paid for in each of the last three financial years.

Mr Alister Jack: The Scotland Office can confirm that it has had the following subscriptions in place over the last three financial years: Press and JournalThe CourierThe Financial TimesThe HeraldThe SpectatorThe TelegraphThe TimesThe Scotsman